Copyright pravda
The Bradley infantry fighting vehicles supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are being upgraded with Soviet-made Kontakt-1 reactive armor. According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, this modification indicates the vehicles’ original protection may be insufficient for combat conditions. The publication noted photographs showing Bradleys assigned to Ukraine’s 80th Air Assault Brigade. The vehicles were fitted with Kontakt-1 armor blocks covering the front hull near the engine and transmission compartment. Images also show a lattice-style grill mounted above the vehicle’s upper hull, as well as a rubber skirt installed on the front section for additional shielding. Legacy Soviet Armor Finds New Use on U.S. Equipment The Kontakt-1 dynamic protection system entered service in 1985. Designed to protect armored vehicles from shaped-charge munitions, it operates by detonating metal plates in opposite directions upon impact, disrupting the penetrating jet of an incoming projectile. This can significantly reduce the effectiveness of anti-tank weapons. The adaptation of this 1980s-era Soviet technology to modern U.S. equipment underscores the intensity of current battlefield conditions and Ukraine’s effort to enhance vehicle survivability by any means available.
